JP6831282B2 - Fuel tank manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel tank manufacturing apparatus.

Fuel tanks such as hydrogen tanks mounted on fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen vehicles are required to have sufficient strength to withstand high pressure and to be lightweight. As a method for manufacturing such a fuel tank, a carbon fiber impregnated with a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin is repeatedly wound around the surface of the liner while rotating a cylindrical liner to prepare a tank container, and then heat is generated. A method of thermosetting a curable resin (that is, a filament winding method) is known.

As a manufacturing apparatus suitable for the above-mentioned manufacturing method, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 below, a rotating portion that rotates the tank container around the central axis of the tank container, a thermosetting furnace that heats the entire tank container, and the like. An example is provided with a bubble removing portion for removing bubbles generated on the surface of the tank container by local heating. According to the fuel tank manufacturing apparatus configured as described above, by injecting hot air at the bubble removing portion to remove the bubbles, it is possible to prevent the bubbles from affecting the size and design of the tank.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-264718

However, in the above-mentioned fuel tank manufacturing apparatus, when thermosetting using a thermosetting furnace, the resin impregnated in the carbon fibers seeps out to the surface of the tank container due to a temporary decrease in viscosity. come. If the exuded resin flows in various directions or accumulates in a predetermined place, the thickness of the resin on the surface of the tank container becomes non-uniform, which may deteriorate the curing quality of the tank container.

The present invention has been made to solve such a technical problem, and is a fuel tank manufacturing apparatus capable of making the thickness of the resin on the surface of the tank container uniform and improving the curing quality of the tank container. The purpose is to provide.

The fuel tank manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention has a cylindrical body portion and dome portions provided at both ends of the body portion, and the tank container is provided with a tank container in which fibers impregnated with a resin are wound around the surface. A fuel tank manufacturing apparatus including a rotating portion that rotates around a central axis and a nozzle that injects gas onto the surface of the tank container, wherein the nozzle is a first nozzle that injects gas onto the surface of the body portion. The first nozzle has a second nozzle for injecting gas onto the surface of the dome portion from the tangential direction of the dome portion, and the first nozzle is the central axis of the tank container when viewed from the central axis direction of the tank container. The rotating portion is arranged at a position deviated from the vertical direction of the tank container so as to rotate the tank container in the direction opposite to the gas injection direction from the first nozzle, and the gas from the second nozzle. The injection direction is the same as the rotation direction of the tank container.

In the fuel tank manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the first nozzle that injects gas onto the surface of the body portion is located at a position deviated from the vertical direction of the central axis of the tank container when viewed from the central axis direction of the tank container. Since it is arranged, the gas injected from the first nozzle can flow in one direction along the outer periphery of the body portion, whereby the flow direction of the resin can be unidirectional on the surface of the body portion. it can. Further, the second nozzle that injects gas onto the surface of the dome portion injects gas from the tangential direction of the dome portion, and the gas injection direction from the second nozzle is the same as the rotation direction of the tank container. The resin accumulated on the surface of the part can be scraped off. As a result, the thickness of the resin on the surface of the tank container can be made uniform, and the curing quality of the tank container can be improved.

According to the present invention, the thickness of the resin on the surface of the tank container can be made uniform, and the curing quality of the tank container can be improved.

It is a perspective view which shows the fuel tank manufacturing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a front schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of a thermosetting furnace. It is a perspective view which shows the positional relationship of a hot air blowing part, a resin scraping part, and a tank container. It is a side view which shows the positional relationship of a hot air blowing part, a resin scraping part, and a tank container.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the fuel tank manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a fuel tank manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. The fuel tank manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus used for heating a tank container 10 having a fiber reinforced resin layer containing a thermosetting resin and thermosetting the fiber reinforced resin layer to manufacture a fuel tank. is there. The fuel tank manufacturing apparatus 1 is supported and fixed to a pedestal 6, a thermosetting furnace 2 for heating the tank container 10, and a hot air generator 3 installed outside the thermosetting furnace 2 for generating hot air. It is provided with an intake duct 4 for supplying the hot air generated by the hot air generator 3 to the thermosetting furnace 2 and an exhaust duct 5 for returning the exhaust from the thermosetting furnace 2 to the hot air generator 3.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the internal structure of the thermosetting furnace, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the hot air blowing portion, the resin scraping portion, and the tank container, and FIG. 4 is a hot air blowing portion and the resin scraping portion. It is a side view which shows the positional relationship of a taking part and a tank container. In FIG. 2, in order to make the internal structure easier to understand, the furnace wall 24 on the front side (that is, the front side) is omitted.

Here, first, the structure of the tank container 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the tank container 10 is a hollow container having a cylindrical body portion 11 having a substantially uniform radius and convex curved dome portions 12 provided at both ends of the body portion 11. .. Shaft support shafts 13 are detachably attached to both ends of the tank container 10 in the L direction of the central axis (both left and right ends in FIG. 2). The tank container 10 is rotatably supported by the bearing member 210 of the rotating portion 21 described later via the shaft support shaft 13, and is rotated around the central axis L by the rotational drive of the rotary motor 211.

Although not shown, the tank container 10 is composed of a liner having a storage space for storing fuel inside, and a fiber reinforced resin layer in close contact with the outer wall of the liner. The liner is made of, for example, a resin material or a light metal material such as aluminum. On the other hand, the fiber-reinforced resin layer is a reinforcing layer that covers the outer surface of the liner, and is impregnated with reinforcing fibers such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) wound around the outer surface of the liner and the reinforcing fibers. It is composed of a thermosetting resin such as epoxy.

The thermosetting furnace 2 is provided with a space for accommodating the tank container 10 inside, and has a substantially box shape as a whole. The thermosetting furnace 2 is formed by, for example, attaching a furnace wall 24 having heat resistance and heat retention to four circumferences of a metal frame. Through holes 23 penetrating the furnace wall 24 are provided in the furnace walls 24 on both the left and right sides of the thermosetting furnace 2. The tips of the shaft support shafts 13 attached to the left and right ends of the tank container 10 are inserted into the through holes 23 and are inserted and fixed to the bearing member 210 of the rotating portion 21.

A rotating portion 21 for rotating the tank container 10 around its central axis is arranged outside the thermosetting furnace 2. The rotating portion 21 is fixed to the outside of the furnace wall 24 of the thermosetting furnace 2, and has a pair of bearing members 210 that pivotally support the shaft support shaft 13 and a rotary motor arranged on one side of the pair of bearing members 210. It is configured to have 211 and. By arranging the rotating portion 21 outside the thermosetting furnace 2 in this way, the internal space of the thermosetting furnace 2 can be reduced, so that the entire thermosetting furnace 2 can be made compact. Further, as compared with the case where the rotating portion is arranged inside the thermosetting furnace, the heat absorbed by the rotating portion is eliminated, so that the effect of energy saving is also achieved.

A heat intake / exhaust box 26 is attached to the ceiling of the thermosetting furnace 2. Although not shown, the inside of the heat intake / exhaust box 26 is provided with an intake passage that communicates the intake duct 4 and the hot air blowing portion 22 described later, and an exhaust passage that communicates with the exhaust duct 5 and the inside of the thermosetting furnace 2. Has been done.

Below the heat intake / exhaust box 26, a hot air blowing portion 22 for blowing hot air onto the surface of the body portion 11 of the tank container 10 is suspended. The hot air blowing portion 22 is provided above the flat box-shaped hot air rectifying chamber 220 extending along the direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10 and the hot air rectifying chamber 220, and the hot air rectifying chamber 220 and the heat intake / exhaust box 26. It has two connecting pipes 221 for connecting the two, and an integrated nozzle (first nozzle) 222 provided below the hot air rectifying chamber 220 to inject hot air onto the surface of the body portion 11.

The two connecting pipes 221 are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the hot air rectifying chamber 220 (that is, the central axis L direction of the tank container 10). On the other hand, the integrated nozzle 222 has a slit shape and extends along the longitudinal direction of the hot air rectifying chamber 220. The nozzle 222 is arranged along the shape of the body portion 11 so as to correspond to the body portion 11 of the tank container 10, and blows hot air onto the surface of the body portion 11. By using the integrated nozzle 222 in this way, the surface of the body portion 11 can be heated evenly. Here, the nozzle 222 can move in the vertical direction (that is, the vertical direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10), the horizontal direction (that is, the central axis L direction of the tank container 10), and the front-rear direction with respect to the tank container 10. It is more preferable that the injection angle is changeable, and more preferably. By doing so, it is possible to flexibly respond to the shape change of the body portion 11 of the tank container 10. The number of connecting pipes 221 is not limited to the above description and illustration, and may be increased or decreased as necessary. Further, in the nozzle 222, a plurality of separate nozzles may be arranged in a straight line at equal intervals.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle 222 is arranged at a position deviated from the vertical direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10 when viewed from the direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle 222 is arranged at a position shifted to the left side with respect to the vertical direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10. In other words, the nozzle 222 is eccentric to the left side of the center of the tank container 10. Here, the nozzle 222 is arranged at a position shifted to the left at the same distance as the radius of the body portion 11 with respect to the vertical direction of the central axis L so as to inject hot air from the tangential direction of the body portion 11 of the tank container 10. May be done.

Further, in the present embodiment, the rotating portion 21 is set to rotate the tank container 10 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the hot air is injected from the nozzle 222. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, since the nozzle 222 is arranged at a position shifted to the left side with respect to the vertical direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10, the hot air injected from the nozzle 222 is the tank container. It flows counterclockwise (see arrow F1) along the surface of 10. On the other hand, the tank container 10 is rotated clockwise (see the white-painted arrow F2) by the rotating portion 21.

Further, below the heat intake / exhaust box 26, a pair of left and right dome portions 12 corresponding to the left and right dome portions 12 of the tank container 10 are blown to blow hot air onto the surface of the dome portion 12 to scrape off the thermosetting resin on the surface. The resin scraping portion 25 is suspended. The resin scraping unit 25 includes a connecting pipe 251 connected to the intake passage of the heat intake / exhaust box 26, a hot air rectifying chamber 250 for rectifying hot air supplied via the connecting pipe 251 and a hot air rectifying chamber 250. It is configured to have a nozzle (second nozzle) 252 that injects rectified hot air toward the dome portion 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, the resin scraping portion 25 has a central axis L of the tank container 10 so that the injection direction of hot air from the nozzle 252 (see arrow F3) is the same as the rotation direction of the tank container 10. It is located at a position shifted to the right with respect to the vertical direction. In other words, the resin scraping portion 25 is arranged on the side opposite to the hot air blowing portion 22 with respect to the vertical direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10.

The nozzle 252 of the resin scraping portion 25 is provided so that gas can be injected onto the surface of the dome portion 12 from the tangential direction of the dome portion 12. Here, the nozzle 252 is preferably configured to be movable in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction with respect to the tank container 10, and is more preferably configured so that the injection angle can be changed. In this way, it is possible to flexibly respond to changes in the shape of the dome portion 12 of the tank container 10.

In each resin scraping unit 25, it is preferable that the nozzles 252 are one or more. In the present embodiment, the nozzle 252 is formed in a straight line. Then, when viewed from the vertical direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10, the nozzle 252 is directed with respect to the central axis L direction so as to inject hot air onto the surface of the dome portion 12 from the tangential direction of the dome portion 12. It is arranged in the direction rotated by 45 degrees. When viewed from the vertical direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10, the nozzle 252 may be arranged to be curved (that is, curved) along the convex curved surface shape of the dome portion 12, and thus the nozzle 252 may be arranged in a curved shape. For example, the shape of the dome portion 12 makes it easier to fit, and hot air can be blown onto the surface of the dome portion 12 over a wide range from the tangential direction of the dome portion 12.

In the fuel tank manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above configuration, the nozzle 222 that injects hot air onto the surface of the body portion 11 of the tank container 10 is the central axis of the tank container 10 when viewed from the central axis L direction of the tank container 10. Since the L is arranged at a position shifted to the left with respect to the vertical direction, the hot air injected from the nozzle 222 can flow in one direction counterclockwise along the outer circumference of the body portion 11. As a result, the flow direction of the thermosetting resin can be unidirectional on the surface of the body portion 11. Further, the nozzle 252 that injects hot air onto the surface of the dome portion 12 injects hot air from the tangential direction of the dome portion 12, and the injection direction of the hot air from the nozzle 252 is the same as the rotation direction of the tank container 10. The thermosetting resin accumulated on the surface of the dome portion 12 can be scraped off, and the accumulation of the thermosetting resin can be reduced. As a result, the thickness of the thermosetting resin on the surface of the tank container 10 can be made uniform, and the curing quality of the tank container 10 can be improved.

Further, since the rotating portion 21 is set to rotate the tank container 10 in the direction opposite to the injection direction of the hot air from the nozzle 222, the body while diffusing the hot air injected from the nozzle 222 around the body portion 11. The thermal efficiency can be improved by lengthening the contact time between the portion 11 and the hot air. As a result, the thermosetting time can be shortened.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various designs are designed without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. You can make changes. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the rotating portion 21 for rotating the tank container 10 has been described with reference to an example in which the rotating portion 21 is arranged outside the thermosetting furnace 2. However, if necessary, the rotating portion 21 is moved to the thermosetting furnace 2. It may be placed inside the.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when viewed from the central axis L direction of the tank container 10, the nozzle 222 is displaced to the left side with respect to the vertical direction of the central axis L of the tank container 10, and the nozzle 252 is displaced to the right side. Although the example in which each position is arranged has been described, both arrangement positions may be exchanged. At this time, since the hot air injected from the nozzle 222 flows clockwise along the outer circumference of the tank container 10, the rotating portion 21 is set to rotate the tank container 10 counterclockwise.

1 Fuel tank manufacturing equipment 2 Thermal curing furnace 3 Hot air generator 4 Intake duct 5 Exhaust duct 10 Tank container 11 Body part 12 Dome part 13 Shaft support shaft 21 Rotating part 22 Hot air blowing part 23 Through hole 24 Furnace wall 25 Resin scraping part 26 Heat intake / exhaust box 210 Bearing member 211 Rotating motor 220,250 Hot air rectifying chamber 221,251 Connection pipe 222 nozzle (first nozzle)
252 nozzles (second nozzle)
L central axis

Claims (2)

A rotating portion that rotates a tank container having a cylindrical body portion and dome portions provided at both ends of the body portion and having a resin-impregnated fiber wound on the surface around the central axis of the tank container. A fuel tank manufacturing apparatus including a nozzle for injecting hot air onto the surface of the tank container.
The nozzle has a first nozzle that injects hot air onto the surface of the body portion and a second nozzle that injects hot air onto the surface of the dome portion from the tangential direction of the dome portion.
When viewed from the central axis direction of the tank container, the first nozzle is arranged at a position deviated from the vertical direction of the central axis of the tank container.
The rotating portion is configured to rotate the tank container in the direction opposite to the direction in which the hot air is injected from the first nozzle.
A fuel tank manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that the direction of injection of hot air from the second nozzle is the same as the direction of rotation of the tank container. The first aspect of claim 1 is that the second nozzle is arranged in a direction rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the central axis direction of the tank container when viewed from the vertical direction of the central axis of the tank container. The described fuel tank manufacturing equipment.

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